Filing cabinet



Nov. 26, 1957 1. R. CORNISH 2,814,545

FILING CABINET Original Filed Dec. 26, 1 951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY Y Nov. 26, 1957 R, coRN|s 2,814,545

I FILING CABINET Original Filed Dec. 26, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY FILING CABINET Irving R. Cornish, Elmhurst, Ill. Original application December 26, 1951, ficrial No. 263,299, now Patent No. 2,745,708, dated May 15,

1956. Divided and this application December 6, 1955, Serial No. 551,472

8 Claims. (Cl. 312-471 Modern,

large-scale businesses and governmental agencies, which require extensive and comparatively exheretofore produced and as have a present measure of acceptance, have possessed some disadvantages not encountered in the conventional, horizontal-sliding contanier stack. These disadvantages have limited the appeal of these prior substitutes.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide an improved form of filing cabinet wherein the container moves horizontally out of and into a receded or content-storage position in a supporting casing; to provide an improved filing cabinet of this kind wherein the opening and closing of a swinging casing closure panel respectively effects the opposite horizontal movements of the file container and its contents with respect to the casing; to provide such an improved relative arrangement of a swinging closure panel and sliding container so as to occupy the minimum floor and cubic space; and to provide an improved filing cabinet of this kind which is -so simple in construction as to make its manufacture extremely economical and its use facile and practically free of the necessity for repairs and/or replacements.

In the accompanying drawings; Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly sectional, of a single unit of a multi-unit filing cabinet constructed in accordance with this invention, the container and panel being shown in their respective receded and closed positions, and with which is associated the lever-pocket type of panel-controlled container-actuating mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a similar view but showing the panel in its partially retracted position just; prior to its initiating'the forward movement of the container;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the panel in its fully-retracted position and the container in its fullyadvanced position;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 showing the gear-rack type of panel-controlled containeractuating mechanism; and

Fig. 7 is a slight modification of the mechanism shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

Theessential concept of this invention involves a con 'tainer with an open side and top to permit a placing and removal of the files therein sidewisely transverse to its longitudinal dimension, the container being mounted in an open front casing for horizontal shifting under the action of an oppositely swingable panel, which constitutes a closure for the casing open front, whereby the container is moved into and out of an access position forwardly of the casing to render the ends of the file folders and the guide cards visible for examination and accessible for horizontal or sidewise removal and insertion.

A filing cabinet embodying this concept comprises, a supporting housing or casing A wherein is arranged a container B, or several containers in one or more tiers, with a closure panel C for each container compartment, and panel-controlled container-actuating mechanism D interposed between each container and panel. The herein shown several parts are preferably made of metal. However, it will be understood that they could be made of other materials; certainly of wood and perhaps of plastic. Although, the figures show only a single'container B in relation to a casing A, it will be understood that the containers may be arranged in horizontally-extending The container B is formed with a bottom member 32 and a back member 33 secured together at right angles by a pair of ends 34. The bottom member 32, in width is substantially equal to the front-to-back dimension of the container compartment 29. In length the container is slightly less than the inside dimension of the compartment 29 between the casing ends, The container back 33 and the ends 34 extend up from the bottom 32 more than a major portion of the vertical dimension of the herein designated container compartment 29 of the easing A.

Obviously, the container B will be equipped with means for supporting a suitable follower and appropriate indexing guide cards. p

The support for the container B, to permit its horizontal shifting, includes suitably arranged pairs of rollers 42 journaled at the ends of the container B and the casing partment 29, thereby concealing and protecting the contents of the container, and of a force-receiving element for causing the actuating-mechanism D to effect the foreand-aft horizontal shifting of the container B between its receded or storage position and its forwardly-extended or access position.

The panel (1-46 is swingably supported on links 49 and 51 and rollers 52. The links 49 and 51 have their outer ends pivoted or hinged at 53 and 54 to the inside face of the panel C-46 respectively adjacent the upper edge and intermediate the upper and lower edges. At the inner end the link 49 is pivoted or hinged to the casing A at 55. The link 51 is hinged at 56 to the casing A adjacent the front edge thereof. The link 51 has a longitudinal slot 57 formed therein so that it shifts on the pivot 56 as is obviously essential to secure the swinging movement of the panel C-46 through the desired path, as controlled by the rollers 52, to insure a movement of the panel 0-46 that will avoid contact of the panel with the container contents. Either link 49 or 51 may constitute a part of the panel-controlled container actuating mechanism D to be described presently.

The rollers 52 are journaled one on each end of the Patented Nov. 26,

casing A adjacent the front edges .and upper corners of the panel C-46. The axes of the rollers 52 are concentric with the pivots '53, when the panel is in its vertical closed position. Accordingly, the links 49 and 51 are offset inwardly at SS and 59 respectively to dispose the pivotal connections 53 and 54 inwardly of the rollers 52. The slotted link 51 thus permits the lower edge of the panel -46 to swing outwardly away from the container B to a point where the plane of the panel (3-46 is nearly at right angles to the length of the link 49 at which time the least pressure will be required to push the panel back into the casing A. As the panel thus is pushed upward or inward on the pivot pins 53 and 54 it moves in an are about the two pivot pins 55 and 56 into its fullyretracted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. This path of the panel C-46 insures against it ever coming into contact with the. normally-arranged contents of the container.

Two forms of panel-controlled container-actuating mechanism D are shown, one a lever and pocket type arrangement .(Figs. ,1-3) and the other a gear-rack type arrangement (Figs. 4-7). In this connection it should be noted that the horizontal movement of the container B needs to be only enough to extend the advancing edge a suflicient distance forwardly of the front of the casing A to expose the index guide labels and the folder notations to easy view and make convenient the removal or insertion of the files or folders. A movement of three or four inches has been found sufficiently practical. Moreover, that movement has to be effected when the panel C- is sufficiently retracted within the casing A to avoid contact of the panel with the container contents. Obviously, that will be when the movement of the panel C is adjacent its fully-retracted position. Accordingly, there has to be what properly might be called a delayed action of the panel-controlled container-actuating mechanism D.

The lever-pocket type of panel-controlled containeractuating mechanism *1), as shown in Figs. 1-3, is similar to that disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 263,299, filed December 26, 1951, now Patent No. 2,745,708, issued May 15, 1956, and of which this is a divisional application.

The link 51 is converted into a lever by an extension 73, which mounts a roller 80 on its lower end and coacts with the pocket-forming shoulder elements 74 and 75. The shoulder element 74 is fixed on the side of the container 'B, just above the bottom thereof and a short distance in from the 'front edge of the container. The shoulder 75 is in the form of a pawl pivoted at 77 to the container, rearwardly of the shoulder element 74, and biased by a spring 78 so that as the roller 80, in moving along the upper face of the pawl, depresses it to permit the roller 80 to become operatively seated between the two shoulder elements 74 and 75, when the spring 78 restores the pawl shoulder element 75 to its normal position.

The gear-rack type of panel-controlled containeractuating mechanism D, as shown in Figs. 4-7, is similar to that disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 551,471 filed December 6, 1955.

The link 49 is extended beyond its pivot 55 and enlarged to sector shape with gear teeth 84 formed along the arc of the sector. A rack segment 85 is fixed to the end of the container B so that it meshes or demeshes with the gear sector 84 as the panel C respectively approaches or recedes from its fully-retracted position. In order to insure the effective meshing of the sector 84 and segment 85 to initiate the forward shifting of the container B, the

foremost tooth 86 of the rack 8-5 is elongated slightly.

When the gear rack mechanism is combined with the link mechanism for the flat-type panel 0-46 the link 51 does not have the lever extension 73, the link 51 being of a length sufiicient only to provide for the sliding pivotal connection on the casing pivot pin 56.

When the gear-rack type of panel-controlled containeractuating mechanism D is employed, the link 51 may be omitted and a second roller 52' arranged above the previ- 4 ously-mentioned roller 52 to travel on the upper face of the panel 0-46 (see Fig. 4).

The operation of this improved type of filing cabinet is more or less apparent from the foregoing description, hence the following explanation can be comparatively brief.

Swinging the panel C from its vertically-disposed compartment-closing position at the front of the casing A into its upwardly retracted position within the casing A, results in the forward horizontal shifting of the container B to advance its forward edge and its contents several inches beyond the front face of the casing A. This forward movement of the container B occurs as the panel C approaches the limit of its fully-retracted position, when the lever 73 enters the pocket formed by the shoulders 74 and or the gear sector '84 meshes with the rack segmentSS.

Advanced thus forwardly of the casing front, the notations on the guide card and on the folders are visible for the entire length of the container B. This is so not only for one container when so advanced, but simultaneously for all the advanced containers in a stack thereof. This is a material advantage over the conventional form of pull-drawer filing cabinet where all of the contents of only one drawer at a time can be exposed to view and access, and then only when the drawer is pulled out to its full limit. Moreover, the container B being horizontally movable into and out of its advance, contentaccessible position has an advantage over the tilting type container, in that the contents or the folders are not disturbed or disarranged when the container is shifting into storage position.

When access to the container is no longer desired, the panel C is pulled outwardly and downwardly into its vertically disposed position to serve as a closure for the open front of the container compartment 29, thereby concealing and protecting the container contents. As the movement of the panel C from its retracted position is initiated the link 73' or the gear and rack mechanism 84-85 effects a quick recession of the container B into the casing A and out of the path of the panel C.

I claim:

1. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for oppositehorizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of discrete members each pivotally connected to the panel and to the casing for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing .open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, and coacting means on the container and on one of the members normally free of interacting engagement with each other when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but positioned to enter into and recede from interacting engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of the container into and out of its advanced position occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fullyretracted position within the casing.

2. A filing ca'binet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of discrete members each pivotally connected directly to the inner face of the panel respectively adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edges of the panel and to the casing inwardly adjacent the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swinga'bly supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and areceded transverse position within the casing, and coacting means on the container and on one of the members normally free of interacting engagement'with each other when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but positioned to enter into and recede from interacting engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of thecontainer into and out of its advanced position occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

' 3. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of discrete members each pivotally connected directly to the inner face of the panel respectively adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edges of the panel and to the casing inwardly adjacent the open front :and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, one of the members being slotted to permit longi tudinal movement thereof relative to its pivotal connection to the casing during the swinging of the panel, a guide roller fixed on the casing to contact the face of the panel intermediate the pivotal connections of the members thereto, and coacting means on the container and on one of the members normally free of interacting engagement with each other when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but po'si tioned to enter into and recede from interacting engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fullyretracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of the container into and out of its advanced position occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

4. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of discrete members each pivotally connected directly to the inner face of the panel respectively adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edges of the panel and to the casing inwardly adjacent the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, one of the members being slotted to permit longitudinal movement thereof relative to its pivotal connection to the casing during the swinging of the panel, a guide roller fixed on the casing to contact the face of the panel intermediate the pivotal connections of the members thereto, and coacting means on the container and on the one member normally free of interacting engagement with each other when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but positioned to enter into and recede from interacting engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of the container into and out of its advanced position occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

5. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of discrete members each pivotallyconnected directly to the, inner face of the panel respectively adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edges: of the panel and to the casing inwardly adjacent the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for move ment between a vertical position for closing the casing open-front-and a receded transverse position within the casing,-on'e of the members being slotted to permit longitudinal' movement thereof relative to its pivotal connection to the casing during the swinging ofthe panel, a guide roller fixed ,on the casing to contact the face of the panel intermediate the pivotal connections of the members thereto, and coacting means on the container and onthe other member normally free of interacting engagement with each other when the panel is in and swingably ad'- jacent its verticallcasingaclosing position but positioned to enter into and recede from interacting engagement as the panel approaches and recede-s from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of thecont-ainer into and out of its advanced position occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

6. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of members pivotally connected directly to the face of the panel and to the casing adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edge of the panel and to the casing at points inwardly of the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, one of the members being slotted to permit longitudinal movement of the member relative to its pivotal connection to the casing during the swinging of the panel, an inwardlydisposed extension on the one member beyond its pivotal connection to the casing, means on the container forming a pocket normally free of engagement with the end of the member extension when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but positioned to enter into and recede from temporary pivotal connection with the free end of the member extension as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of the container occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

7. A filing cabinet comprising, an open front casing, a container mounted for opposite horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to the casing open front, a panel adapted for vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of members pivotally connected directly to the face of the panel and to the casing adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edge of the panel and to the casing at points inwardly of the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, one of the members being slotted to permit longitudinal movement of the member relative to its pivotal connection to the casing during the swinging of the panel, a gear rack segment secured to the container at one side thereof, a gear sector integral with the other member and extending outwardly from its pivotal connection to the casing, the gear sector and gear segment being normally free of intermeshing engagement when the panel is in and swingably adjacent its vertical casing-closing position but relatively positioned to enter into and recede from intermeshing engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal movement of the container occurs only as the panelmoves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing. a

8. A filing cabinet comprising, an openfront casing, a container mounted for opposite, horizontal shifting movement in the casing between receded and advanced positions with respect to thecasing open front, a panel adapted for 'vertical disposition in the plane of the casing front for closing the open front, a pair of members ,pivotally connected directly to the face of the panel and to the casing adjacent the top edge and intermediate the top and bottom edge ofthe panel and to the casing at points inwardly of the open front and vertically intermediate the upper and lower boundaries, of the casing opening for swingably supporting the panel for movement between a vertical position for closing the casing open front and a receded transverse position within the casing, one of the members being slotted to permit longitudinal movement of the member relative to itspivotal connec- 8 v tion to the casing during the swinging of the panel, a guide roller fixed on the casing .to contact the face of the panel intermediate thetpivotal connections of the members thereto, a gear'rack'segment securedto the container at one side thereof, a gear sector integral with the other member and extending outwardly from its pivotal connection to the casing, the gear sector andgear segment being normally free ofintermeshing engagement when the panel is in and swingably adjacent itsvertical casing-closing position but relatively positioned to enter into and recede from intermeshing engagement as the panel approaches and recedes from its fully-retracted position within the casing, whereby the horizontal 'movement of the container occurs only as the panel moves into and out of its fully-retracted position within the casing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,023,789 Miller Apr. 16, 1912 

